The Life and Letters of John Paul Jones - Vol. 2

DURING the last weeks of July a personal incident of the
warmest interest relieved the perplexities and disappointments of Jones's existence with a consoling repetition of the flattery and enchantments of Paris. Purely
personal and ephemeral in character, it would deserve
but passing reference except for the light it throws upon
the hero in his intimate hours, and for the significant
fact that the letters from the lady which relate the story
of the episode are the only ones of this character which
he preserved.

A perusal of the tear-stained pages which still exist
in their original chirography among Jones's papers in Washington reveals the reason of his unwillingness to
destroy them, for they are a remarkable tribute to his
capacity of inspiring the deepest attachment, as well
as an example of the hero-worship of which he was at
this time the object.

An added reason for giving space to the narration of
the episode is found in the fact that the identity of the
lady, which it was evidently Jones's intention to conceal, has not hitherto been discovered.

Brief quotations from the letters were published by Sherburne, Jones's earliest biographer, who was able to
assign no date to the letters or to identify the lady

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